


Free to Live; Free to Grow

by kiranightshade



Series: Stetopher Week 2017 [2]
Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: BAMF Stiles, Cults, Day: Cross-Generational Issues, Human Alpha Stiles Stilinski, M/M, Rogue Hunters, Scott is a Bad Friend, Sheriff Stilinski is a Good Parent, Spark Stiles Stilinski, Stetopher Week 2017, Stiles Leaves Beacon Hills, Stiles Leaves the Pack, True Alpha Scott McCall
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-30
Updated: 2017-10-30
Packaged: 2019-01-26 17:35:01
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,231
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12562600
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kiranightshade/pseuds/kiranightshade
Summary: Stetopher week is late. I know. But it's here!





	Free to Live; Free to Grow

Scott can stay in Beacon Hills all he likes. Stiles is taking his full ride to Kepler and he isn’t looking back. 

Peter and Chris come with him, of course. Their little pack of three moves in together at a penthouse of Peter’s choosing, because he’s loaded. Apparently. 

Stiles certainly isn’t complaining. The realization that he can spend the next four years of his life completely on his education is not a luxury he’d ever expected to enjoy. 

Stiles still lives in his dorm for the first year. Chris insists that he lives a relatively normal freshman life, annoying roommates and all. His dad certainly agrees. That doesn’t stop Stiles from spending half his time at their penthouse anyways. 

It’s not like Chris is wrong. Stiles makes plenty of new friends living on campus. Peter helps him connect with the supernatural city life and Stiles builds his own network of connections. He learns how to use his magic, both from what Peter knows and from underground classes at the college. All the while, Chris shifts his family’s hunting business to the first supernatural private investigator firm. 

By the time Stiles graduates, he’s mastered his spark and Misfit’s Lucky Day has grown a reputation for being able to avenge whole packs, find long lost artifacts, and even rehabilitate feral wolves. The Hale name grows powerful once again and the Argent name is taking on a whole new meaning as word spreads. Only rumors are known of Stiles though. A spark, they whisper. A child. The kindest man you’ll ever meet and the deadliest. Stiles finds himself with a third name, or a title, for he never gives out his own because, while Peter and Chris have lost everyone, Stiles has not and his dad is in enough danger living in Beacon Hills. 

It’s years before they return to Beacon Hills. Well, that’s not strictly true. Stiles has visited his father plenty of times, mostly for holidays, but this is the first time that they’ve had reason to go anywhere but his father’s house. 

It’s years before Stiles sees Scott again and it shows. Stiles sees Scott’s eyes widen at the sight of him and he knows why. Stiles has changed a lot since they last met. Various tattoos and piercings cover him, and he’s made no effort to hide them. He knows he must seem bursting with power to a werewolf, not to mention one like Scott. He knows he would look different without these features. He walks differently now, stands differently. He’s not the same person that took his best friend out to the woods all those years ago. 

Scott looks exactly the same. Stiles supposes he shouldn’t be surprised. 

They run into each other outside the empty lot where the Hale House once stood. Stiles had just finished cleansing the area, even though it wasn’t what they were here to do. 

“Six years,” Scott finally says. “Six years since you left us and you don’t even think to mention your back? And doing magic on top of it?” 

Stiles internally sighs as Scott’s voice steadily rises. 

“You made it perfectly clear that I wasn’t welcome, Scott.” 

Scott continues as if he didn’t hear him, “I can’t believe you’re using magic. After what it did, you know what magic does to people.”

Scott continues ranting. Stiles thinks he might have caught Peter’s scent on him because his ranting gains new energy at some point but Stiles doesn’t hear it. 

Stiles takes a deep breath, like he’s practiced, to control the renewed anger simmering under his skin. It proves to be in vain, however, when Scott steps into his space and catches Chris’ scent as well.

Stiles snaps when the word ‘pervert’ dares to cross Scott’s lips and he throws Scott into the tree behind him. Something snaps at the collision and Stiles is happy to know it to be Scott’s spine and not the tree itself. 

“How dare you,” Stiles says, deceptively calm, his magic sparking at his fingertips. “How dare you approach me after what you did to the Hales and lecture me on morality. How dare you strut around this land and act superior, as if you had any right. Do you know why I’m here, Scott? Why I’ve brought my pack here? Because you failed to do the one thing you promised to do. There is a cult forming here that wishes to undo everything I’ve worked for. They wish to bring back the fear and madness of Gerard’s teachings. And they’ve already got a body count. They’ve already brought courage to the fanatics and the zealots across the country. They should never have gotten this big, not with a True Alpha watching over their home base. But no, let’s talk about how I’m mated to two men who happen to be older than me. Let’s talk about how I decided to take my gifts and make something of myself with them.” 

Stiles forces himself to stop and take another deep breath. The sparks crawling up his arms die out. The forest stops being so quiet. He can feel his mates, his betas, his pack calm with him at the other end of their bonds. 

“How could you let yourself become this,” Scott hisses from where he’s curled on the ground. “You’ve seen what magic does to people.”

“I’ve seen what people do to people. It’s why I left you.”

Stiles walks away before he does something he can’t take back. It’s the last time he sees Scott for a long time. 

 

*** 

 

The cult does not appreciate being called a cult. 

Their leader is strong, strong enough to defeat Chris, but not easily and certainly not so lethally as she likes to think she did.

She's clever. Traps take out Peter, but not before he runs through her men.  
Stiles stands calmly, staring as she gloats. He supposes it would appear she had reason, from her point of view. A rare form of mountain ash, meant to trap almost every magic user, surrounds him. Almost, however, does not include him. Unlucky her. 

Chris and Peter begin to regain consciousness as their bodies use their link to Stiles to heal. Two of the tattoos on his back itches from the use. He doesn’t move. 

Chris is the one to ultimately take her out with one clean shot to the head. She falls. Stiles steps over the ring of ash and frees Peter from his own prison. 

They’re all covered in blood when they meet his father outside the warehouse. He doesn’t hesitate to pull his son into a bone-crushing hug. Stiles grins into his shoulder like he always does. 

“Hey kiddo,” his father grunts, “got an interesting call today. Apparently, you’ve been brainwashed into an abusive relationship of some sort. I’m supposed to arrest Peter and Chris, I think. To be honest, I stopped paying attention once Scott said you were tainted by magic.” 

“Ohmygod,” Stiles groans. 

His father chuckles, “Come on. Let’s get you boys home before dinner gets cold.” 

Stiles grins and kisses his father’s cheek. “Yes. Let’s do that. I’m so hungry, you don’t even know.”

Stiles rushes ahead of them and takes the passenger seat, leaving Peter and Chris to take the backseat of the squad car. 

One last spot of blood seeps through the concrete as they drive away, and disappears without a trace.


End file.
